Animal Crossing & Fire Emblem Will Be Free-To-Play

According to the Wall Street Journal when speaking with DeNA’s Chief Executive, both of Nintendo’s upcoming smart device games will be free-to-play. DeNA is the joint producer of Nintendo’s mobile offerings. This is similar to its first app, Miitomo, but it remains to be seen how Nintendo will monetize Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem.

We had speculated different ways to do so via the latest Nintendo Times Radio podcast. Things like having in-game purchases via real money could make sense in a title like Animal Crossing. However, it’s a very fine line to walk between egregious nickel-and-diming the gamer and allowing him or her to earn the items through normal gameplay mechanics. Some of us would almost rather Nintendo offered a dual approach to these games – perhaps a free version with the in-app purchases and a paid version where there isn’t a “pay to win” scheme baked in. At least that way both types of gamers are satisfied with the experience.

Both games are expected to hit mobile devices this fall. Unlike Miitomo, they are full gaming experiences that should appeal directly to fans of the series. Animal Crossing has recently become a huge franchise and Fire Emblem continues to grow at a fast pace. Both should theoretically be a good fit for touchscreen gaming, as they don’t require precise and fast-paced button presses to play. We will have more information on these two new projects throughout the year.